ABOUT DRAKE'S ATHLETICS
Drake’s Athletics was built on one simple belief: the greatest limits we face are rarely physical. They’re mental. We exist to inspire and equip people to pursue challenges that demand more than physical strength.
What We Believe
Mind Over Matter is the belief that the greatest limits we face are rarely physical; they’re mental. Every mile, every lift, every race, every mountain, and every challenge is an opportunity to prove that discipline is stronger than doubt and that growth begins where comfort ends.
Our Mission
Drake’s Athletics exists to inspire and equip people to pursue challenges that demand more than physical strength. Through coaching, training, education, and community, we help endurance athletes turn discipline into results, one race at a time.
Our Vision
To build the most respected endurance lifestyle brand in the world, one where choosing the hard way isn’t the exception. It’s the standard people hold themselves to.
Brand Pillars
MIND
Discipline. Consistency. Resilience. Growth.
BODY
Training. Recovery. Nutrition. Strength. Performance.
ADVENTURE
Race the marathon. Climb the mountain. Travel somewhere unfamiliar. Say yes to something intimidating.
COMMUNITY
Train together. Travel together. Race together. Build together.
Meet the Founder
I’m Ethan Drake, from Northern Virginia. Hockey was the first hard thing I ever chose on purpose. It took me to the EHL outside of Boston during my senior year of high school. Traveling the world had been a dream of mine since I was a kid, so after graduating, I took a gap year and worked full time until I’d earned enough to make it happen.
That trip turned into seven months abroad. I spent four months sailing around the world with Semester at Sea before traveling independently for another three months, visiting more than 30 countries. One of those stops was Everest Base Camp, where I met Kaitlin Gripekoven, a 20-year-old who had already completed four full Ironmans. That conversation changed everything. I signed up for my first race that night, even though I could hardly swim a lap or run a mile.
That December, I crossed the finish line of Ironman Florida 70.3. Nine months after meeting Kaitlin, we stood on the start line of Ironman Texas together, and I crossed the finish line of my first full Ironman.
To me, hockey, travel, and endurance racing have always been about the same thing: choosing the hard way instead of the easy one.
Drake’s Athletics is where I document that journey and help other people build the same thing in themselves, whether that’s their first marathon, their first Ironman, or just becoming someone who follows through. I proved it works on myself first. Now I help other people prove it to themselves too.